Abuse victim motivates youth
After being physically and sexually abused several times, Danish citizen Lisbeth Anker-Berglie visited the East Rand School of Arts in Putfontein to share her story.
The classroom was filled with children on Thursday (November 3) who were eager to listen to what brought Berglie to South Africa.
“I came to South Africa because I watched a story on Carte Blanche two years ago, about children being sold to elders as wives in SA,” she said.
“I knew that was wrong, so I came to SA to share my story.”
Berglie was raised by her mother in Denmark, but at the age of five, taken to an orphanage.
“My mother was a guitarist and she would play her music at different places,” Berglie said.
“She took me with her because I was young, but she would meet men at these places and bring them to our house.
“My mother and these various men would drink and take pills, before she passed out and they touched me inappropriately.”
The authorities in Denmark heard of Berglie’s story and took her away from her mother, leaving her in an orphanage.
“I was then taken in by foster parents, who used to hit me,” she said.
“At nine-years-old, I called the authorities – who placed me in the care of new foster parents at the age of 14.”
However, life just got worse for the now 50-year-old.
“My step-father then sexually molested me until the age of 24,” Berglie explained.
“I managed to run away from that house and I lived on my own until I came to South Africa.”
She is currently afflicted by lupus and fibromyalgia (muscular pain), but still travels to tell the youth this: “Despite the circumstances, if you work for a good life, you can achieve it.”
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